Amarinder is non-serious CM: DayalChandigarh, February 22
The secretary of the Punjab unit of the CPI, Dr Joginder Dayal, said today that Capt Amarinder Singh was a “non- serious” Chief Minister.
Speaking to mediapersons after a two-day meeting of the state council, Dr Dayal said that the Chief Minister had called two all-party meetings — one on the drought issue and other on the SYL canal issue.

Scindia foresees pension fund scamChandigarh, February 22
"The Congress would not waver from its path of secularism come what may. It fully understands the game plan of the BJP and its various offshoots and is determined to defeat such forces of negativism," said Mr Jyotiraditya
Scindia, one of the youngest Congress members of Parliament and son of late Mr Madhavrao
Scindia.

Samra, Bajwa file suit against
ModiJalandhar, February 22
The two Punjab ministers, Mr A.S. Samra and Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, today filed two separate libel suits for damages on account of defamation of Rs 50 crore each in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) here against the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narinder Modi and the Gujarat Home Minister, Mr Amit Shah.

29 new AC buses for Punjab soonJalandhar, February 22
The Punjab Transport Department has issued 29 permits for air-conditioned buses, which will link the state capital with all district headquarters and major cities, except Kapurthala.

Candidates boycott MC
pollBathinda, February 22
All candidates in six out of 11 wards of Sangat Mandi Municipal Council today withdrew nomination papers for the civic body elections to be held on March 2 in protest against lack of civic amenities and development in their wards.

Kainth rules out truck with BSPSangrur, February 22
Mr Satnam Singh Kainth, former MP and president of the Bahujan Samaj Morcha, today ruled out every possibility of having any political alliance or merger with the Bahujan Samaj Party by the BSM in the near future as the BSP was “rejecting” the ideology of Dr
B.R. Ambedkar, continuously.

SAD candidates for MC pollHoshiarpur, February 22
Mr Varinder Singh Bajwa, President, District Unit of Hoshiarpur Shiromani Akali Dal (B), released a list of SAD candidates for 11 wards for the forthcoming elections to Municipal Council today.

‘Mishandling’
of rape case led to rowAmritsar, February 22
It was ‘mishandling’ of the infamous rape case by the Sikh clergy
which snowballed into a major controversy today. The Shiromani Khalsa
Panchayat had brought out a brochure which had alleged that the
Sikh clergy had been ‘hushing up’ the cases pertaining to Sikh
panth after taking ‘bribes’ on this issue.

Minority Commission Chairman Tarlochan Singh
and his wife comes out of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday. — Photo Rajiv Sharma

Consumer forums to get more
powersRopar, February 22
The compensation awarding power of the state and district consumer forums would increase substantially after the Union Government effects the recently proposed amendment in the Consumer Act.

Ropar court summons
DhumalRopar, February 22
The CJM Ropar, Mr Ravinder Singh, today directed the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to present himself in his court on March 27.
Earlier, on February 14, the CJM Ropar, in a defamation case filed by Mr Bal
Bhushan, a member of the PPCC, had directed the Himachal Chief Minister to present before his court today.

PATHANKOT ROUND-UPConference hall for farmersPATHANKOT: The Agriculture Technology Management Agency plans to construct a conference hall here to facilitate the farming community. The hall will be equipped with a computerised library and have internet facilities to provide knowledge about the latest scientific techniques to farmers to boost production.

Woman dies after ‘illegal’
abortionBathinda, February
22
Shanti Devi, who had been battling for life for the past three weeks after undergoing an ‘illegal’ abortion allegedly performed in the house of a nurse posted in the local Civil Hospital yesterday died at Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala.

150 women undergo
tubectomyBathinda, February 22
The Civil Hospital here organised family planning camp. The United Welfare Society, and Shri Sukhmani Sahib Sewa Society, both NGOs, had organised a family planning camp but the three men who reported at the hospital, later refused to undergo vasectomy.

Forest Corpn ex-chief gets bailAmritsar, February 22
Mr Manjinder Singh Kang, a former Chairman of the Forest Corporation and a relative of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, arrested on charges of amassing huge property five months ago was released from the Central Jail on bail here today.

Bank staff
observe strikeJalandhar, February 22
Employees of all branches of Bank of Baroda, here, yesterday observed strike to protest against the decision of the bank management to change retirement rules without consulting the employees.

96 cases settled at Lok
AdalatsKapurthala, February 22
As many as 96-cases were settled at Lok Adalats organised here today, informed Mr Zora Singh, Additional District and Sessions Judge.
The cases settled at Lok Adalats include road accident claims, cases under the Hindu Marriage Act, and motor accidents claim cases. A compensation amounting to Rs 23.83 lakh was awarded.

Lok Adalat settles cooperative loan casesHoshiarpur, February 22
For the settlement of old Cooperative Loan cases first Lok Adalat was held in the Sessions Court Complex here today. Three benches were constituted for hearing these cases.

2 dead, 25 injured in road
mishap
Kapurthala, February 22
Two persons were killed and 25 others injured, four of them seriously, in a collision between a bus and a truck near Dayalpur village on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway this morning, the police said. The deceased have been identified as Mehanga Ram (60) and Pritam Kaur (55), both residents of Pandori Nijjran village near
Adampur.

ITO killed in road
mishapBathinda, February 22
Mr Rajesh Mittal (34) an Income Tax Officer was killed on the spot when the car he was driving hit a tree near Balluana village, near here today.
Sources said that the deceased was posted at Abohar town in Ferozepore district and a post-mortem examination of his body was done at the civil hospital here.

Associate of Netaji dies
Moga, February 22
Veteran freedom fighter and an associate of Netaji Subhas Chandar Bose, Lieut Sadhu Singh died at Faridkot yesterday.
He was 85. He leaves behind three sons and three daughters. The freedom fighter was cremated with full state honours later in the day.

Making of polythene
bags bannedHoshiarpur, February 22
Mr Kirandeep Singh Bhullar, District Magistrate, Hoshiarpur, has prohibited manufacturing and use of polythene bags which are made of fresh recycled polythene have thickness of less than 20 microns.

7-year jail for two in dowry death caseHoshiarpur, February 22
Mr Harbans Lal, District and Sessions Judge has here convicted Krishna Devi wife of Ram Chand and her son Balkar Singh of Sanghowal village under Section 304 B of the IPC and sentenced them seven years each.

Three booked under NDPS ActTarn Taran, February 22
The police has booked three persons under the NDPS Act and has seized drugs from their possession. Thirtynine capsules of some drug were seized from Harjit Singh, a resident of Bath village by the Verowal police and a case under Sections 22, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act was registered.

Businessman held for abducting farmerMansa, February 22
The police today arrested a local businessman Mohit, alias Tinku, for his alleged involvement in kidnapping a farmer of Siriawala village, Mr Baldev Singh
Namardar, of this district and subsequently getting his (Baldev Singh) thumb impression on the promissory notes.

2 proclaimed offenders
heldTarn Taran, February 22
The police here has nabbed two proclaimed offenders who were hiding for years. Mr Narinder
Bhargav, SSP, police district here, told newsmen in a press note yesterday that the accused Joginder Singh of Patti town who was sentenced in a case registered against him on May 6, 1982, for keeping 4 kg of opium and whose bail plea was rejected. He did not attend court. He was living at Fazilka by changing his address.

Rs 10 cr for books to SC
studentsFatehgarh Sahib, February 22
The Punjab Government will spend Rs 10 crore to provide books free of cost to 14 lakh SC students which will be distributed from April 1, said Mr Hans Raj
Gangar, Director S.C., and BC Welfare Department, while presiding over a meeting of officials of the Welfare and Education Department at Ambedkar Bhavan, here today.